OpenLearn vs Siyavula

OpenLearn is a free web learning platform delivered by The Open University. It offers courses, articles, quizzes, interactive games, videos and audio across many subjects, with short courses described as taking 1 to 24 hours. The listed Free courses plan includes nearly 1,000 courses at free. After completion, learners can download a free Statement of Participation, and some courses award a digital badge. OpenLearn courses do not carry formal credit toward a qualification. A free account enables enrolment, progress tracking and activity-record downloads; general content is available without an account, though users must be at least 13 to create one. Materials can be shared through other learning systems in IMS Common Cartridge, HTML and Moodle formats. OpenLearn says its software tools are open source and its main learning environments use Moodle and Drupal. The site reports partial WCAG 2.2 AA compliance, with issues in some legacy images and interactive activities. It was founded in 2006 and is based at Walton Hall, Milton Keynes.

Siyavula is a web-based learning platform for Mathematics and Physical Sciences practice, educator tools, and free textbooks. Learners can work through unlimited question versions, receive instant marking and full solutions, and follow their progress on a personal dashboard. Questions become harder as learners master concepts. Practice covers Mathematics in Grades 8–12 and Physical Sciences in Grades 10–12, aligned with South Africa’s CAPS curriculum, and works on any internet-enabled device. Educators can search questions by subject, grade, topic, and difficulty, then assign automatically marked homework and assessments. Reports let teachers review activity and progress at individual, class, and school levels. Textbooks for several subjects across Grades 4–12 are free to read and download; users may copy, share, or modify them. Siyavula says the site is zero-rated on MTN and Cell C networks in South Africa. Learner access and verified-teacher access are free. Essentials costs $2,050 a year per teacher and subject, excluding VAT; Advanced costs $6,199 a year per teacher and subject, excluding VAT.